Page 9 of Mistletoe Kisses
Hunching forward, I pull out my crushed pack. “Still need to smoke,” I tell her hoarsely, “I’ll join you in a few minutes. You go deal with the two of them. Don’t get upset anymore, alright?”
She nods slowly. Pursing her lips, she stares my way for a moment before making her way inside.
Leaving me alone, I curse under my breath and shove the pack back into my pocket. Not in the mood to smoke, I rub my face like it’ll shove all the stress away.
As if that’s possible. My stress only grows when I realize I’m fucking hard. Terrible timing. As if last night wasn’t haunting enough, my body has betrayed me again.
Haven’t looked at a woman once since Natalie, and now all of a sudden, I can’t keep my mind out of the gutter.
Henry’s daughter. What in the fuck is wrong with me?
5
Cassidy
I can’t believe I cried in front of him. Can’t believe I leaned on him either, practically snuggling the man. The hug was pretty nice, and much needed at the time. Now I keep remembering how it feels to have his arms wrapped around me.
Mylo doesn’t bring up our time spent outside, however, I feel his eyes on me from time to time. If he’s worried about me, he’s not showing it on his face. Not really. Maybe a little bit of interest, but I’m going to keep telling myself that I’m seeing things.
My parents are swarming me with enough of their attention to help distract me for the time being.
Now I’m in bed, tossing and turning as much as I had the previous night before.
I’m going to have to look into some sleeping aids. Something that will help settle the constant rush of thoughts flooding my brain.
No matter how many times I close my eyes, it’s futile. Maybe if I got a hot drink or nibbled on a snack, exhaustion would creep in. At this point, I’m willing to try anything.
Giving up, I leave my room and enter nothing but darkness and silence. Feeling my way toward the stairs, I notice a low glow of light. Seems I’m not the only one here struggling to sleep.
Following the light, I see the kitchen is the room with hints of life. Creeping toward the doorway, my chest tightens when I see it’s Mylo inside. He’s hunched over the counter, chewing on a cookie with a glass of milk within his reach.
As if feeling my stare, he glances up, pausing mid-bite. Caught in the act, the cookie cracks and a chuckle rumbles through him.
“Mom is going to kill you if she finds out.” Approaching him, I take a look at the bag he’s pulled out. “Though, I can’t be a snitch if I commit the same crime.” With a grin teasing my lips, I dip my hand in the bag and pull out a cookie shaped like a Christmas tree.
A chuckle rumbles out of him as I sink my teeth into such softness. “Yes, good thinking. If you ask me, she asked for trouble by leaving them out in the first place.” He plucks out another snowman-shaped one and lifts a brow. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”
I should be, but this man is the reason behind my struggles.
“Pretty sure your bedtime is as early as my parents,” I tease with a curve of my lips. Not to say they’re all old, but they call it a night alongside the sun. “Shouldn’tyoube sleeping?”
He scoffs, shaking his head. Pursing his lips, his brows furrow low. “Haven’t been sleeping too well.”
Seems like we’re in the same boat then, suffering together.
Inching closer, I feel the heat radiating off his body. Wearing a snug pair of sweats, I sneak glances lower. Biting the inside of my cheek, my toes curl against the tile. Thank goodness for thecounter supporting most of my weight. My knees are feeling a little weak as I take in his form.
It’s late, and I’m tired. Hungry too, just not for these cookies. I want this man even more when I see him like this.
My eyes lift and I catch myself staring at his lips. He catches on, but mistakes what I’m doing.
“Need to shave,” he mutters as he brushes the crumbs off his beard. “Let it get a little out of hand.”
“I don’t know,” I hum as I count the number of gray hairs sneaking through the rest of the dark hairs. “I think I like a man with a beard.” Speaking my thoughts without realizing it, I blink.
Mylo is staring at me, looking surprised as well. After a passing second, his thumb brushes against the snowman’s face. “Yeah?”
What am I doing? Testing the waters should be off-limits with this man. One wrong move and our stay together is going to come off as awkward as can be.